80 by 18 Campaign

Ian NevarezApril 5, 2016

The 80 by 18 campaign was launched at HOPE in 2015 as a goal to provide homes to 80 additional residents by 2018. The slogan serves to galvanize efforts around a collective purpose. Since its inception, HOPE has pursued an ambitious strategy that capitalizes on city and federal housing funds, foundation-grants, and donations raised at annual events to successfully purchase seven new properties as ofApril 2016. In total, these sites will house 41 extra residents. This brings HOPE more than halfway to its goal of 80!

Increasing Program CapacityOne exciting facet of this rapid expansion of housing is the diversification of programs these much needed units will support. The following three properties were added as Affordable Housing: Flatbush Avenue (3 people), Fairford Avenue (3 people), and Rosecrans Avenue (4 people). College to Career housing will be able to bring in 12 more students with the acquisition of the Clark Avenue site. Our 213th Street property in Carson will be a Licensed Home for three individuals. Lastly, HOPE has added two properties in Long Beach, on Daisy Drive and Banner Avenue, to support an Assisted Living model that combines the independence of our affordable homes with the 24 hour availability of onsite staff that will be on call to provide assistance with daily living activities as needed. These properties will each house eight residents with a spare unit set aside for service provision employees.

Financing Rapid Expansion of HousingDenise Fanelli, Associate Director, recalls how we were able to move so quickly to the halfway point of this goal. “Growing upon our current partnerships with the City of Long Beach and Norwalk we were able to leverage both cities’ HOME funds that are set aside for Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs).” This will continue to be a big part of the puzzle, but grants from Ahmanson, Del Harbor and Rose Hills Foundations have also played major roles in funding the acquisition and renovation of these seven properties, as have the many individual donations contributed to the 80 by 18 campaign.

HOPE is also exploring affordable housing tax credits and creative federal loan instruments that will enable the purchase of the additional units on our way to providing homes for the remaining 39 residents necessary to reach our goal of 80. One such new possible line of credit is a federal loan through the California Health Facilities Financing Authority. These loans are low interest, long term, and allocated for the acquisition and renovation of public health facilities like HOPE’s licensed homes.

Accomplishment & RecognitionIn a speech to the Norwalk City Council, HOPE’s Executive Director, Kristin Martin, brought focus on why our 80 by 18 campaign is so important for those we serve, “Last week I had the special pleasure to celebrate with some of you at the grand opening of our newest safe, stable, healthy and affordable housing site off of Flatbush Avenue. And in our State, that is no small feat. As you are probably aware, California is in the midst of a housing crisis. Increased demand for housing, stagnant wages, and rising rents have continually made it harder for Californians with disabilities to find homes they can afford. So a single unit of new or preserved affordable housing, for those most vulnerable in our communities, is an accomplishment to celebrate.”

On April 7th, the City of Norwalkreceived a 2015 Congressional Recognition of Excellence Award, from Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, for their innovative partnership with our organization during this campaign that saw four HOPE homes built in their city!

Home Ownership for Personal Empowerment Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) organization and relies on the generosity of donors to sustain its mission and programs. (EIN# 33-0618316)